Canada still locks US border.

[rusty1]

I wonder if it would help relations if we oppened the CDN border to US feeders? We still have it closed during certain times of the year. Politics

[cowman]

Well I think the border is closed to American feeder cattle because of blue tongue and some other diseases. Now that may be garbage, I don't know, but that is what our Canadian Food Inspection Agency says.
On the other hand the ACC(or whatever they call themselves now) has been pushing to have it wide open for sometime now. Now I am not a great fan of the ACC! I think it is basically an organization funded by the little guy to support the big feedlots and our American owned packers. The big feedlots want cheap feeders and they see an abundance of them south of the border! They don't care if they compromize the health of our cow herd as long as they can save a few cents.
So who should you believe? Our inspection agency or IBP/Cargill?
Maybe I'm out of touch or something, but I have to believe our government inspectors are honest people who actually believe in what they are doing? Do you think that is naive thinking on my part?

[rsomer]

Cowman Yes!!! Someone finally speaks up for the government inspectors who have been doing a great job for us cattle producers. There has been tremendous pressure from the feedlots to allow imports of infected U.S. calves in the summer without blood test but so far the CFIA has stood up for the cow calf guy and the health of our cow herd.

The big Alberta feedlots have been pushing for year round access to U.S. feeders even though the science says the resulting introduction of anaplasmosis will cost the Canadian cow calf producer (mostly in Alberta) $2.8 million annually.

Bluetongue and anaplasmosis are diseases that only affect the older cow, not the feedlot animal under 30 months. The disease is spread through infected blood. The younger animals carry the disease which is then spread to the wider cattle population through biting insects and ticks transferring the disease from animal to animal in the summer vector season.

What happens when a susceptible animal becomes infected with Blutetongue? If the animal is a calf under the age of 12 months, virtually nothing is noticed. The calf undergoes an incubation period of about 45 to 90 days, has a very mild illness, which is rarely noticed, and becomes a carrier for life. Cattle that become infected between 1 and 2 years of age become ill after the incubation period, with severity increasing with age. Cattle over 2 years of age become very ill and approximately 50% die unless treated. The older the animal and the better shape they are in—the sicker they get! Usually, once the cattle become infected, they stay infected for life. They are "immune carriers"—they do not get sick, but act as a reservoir for other susceptible animals. Abortions are common if the pregnant cow becomes infected. Bluetongue symptoms mimic foot and mouth disease, the two are easily confused.

What does anaplasmosis do? Infection in calves results in low mortality, while in susceptible older cattle (2-3 years or older) mortality can be 20-50%. Clinical signs are depression, emaciation, fever, anemia, icterus (jaundice) and possibly hemoglubinuria.
Difficult respiration, fever of 105 degrees F or higher, dehydration, and constipation are common. Milk production of lactating cows declines dramatically. Affected animals are often excitable or belligerent. Death often occurs within 24 to 48 hours of the onset of symptoms and may be the first indication that anything is wrong in a herd. Abortion after recovery from clinical disease is common. Recovered animals may act as carriers and be reservoirs for further spread.

We have taken the extra step to be fair traders by allowing imports of infected U.S. feeders during the winter without blood test when there are no insects to spread the disease. Lyle Van Clief has recently gone on record as saying that Canada will not allow summer access without a simple blood test ($5) that would be required to keep our herd free of the disease . Good for him. And good for the government vets who are the only ones standing between the Canadian feedlots and a disease that we really don’t want in our herds.

If Bluetongue and Anaplasmosis were going to cost the Alberta feedlot industsry $2.8 million annually instead of costing the cow calf producer, then there wouldn't even be a discussion.

[rsomer]

Under the Northwest Cattle Feeder project, the cattle were allowed in under the basic premise that they origin in five designated states in the Northwest and are for slaughter only .......... well, you can bet your bottom dollar that they did not only come from those five states and also that a number of the heifers destined for slaughter ended up in our breeding herd.

I personally have no problem with the importation of this animals, but they have to be monitored and for a fee by CFIA and if there are cattle unaccounted for then significant fines and loss of the ability to import by the feedlot. If the feedlot owner wants to import breeding stock, he can do so just like everyone else, and pay for the vet and required tests. The American industry has a number of diseases that we have spent years and resources cleaning up ......... we should not have to lower our standard ........... I personally do not want to lose 25 years of genetic upgrading thru TB or Brucellosis simply because some large feedlot operator operator dumps a group of heifers into the breeding herd for an extra $20 per head.

Go ahead and do it but put in place significant disease monitoring systems and controls and require bonds of the importing feedot to ensure that these animals do go to slaughter.

[johnfarms]

Here is a link to an article in todays paper that adresses this very directly. The link may be good for only a day or so. The article may be too long to cut and paste here.
http://www.mysouthernalberta.com/leth/front_page.php

[johnfarms]

Further to my above post, here is part of what the article discusses. The following quote refers to Ralph Peck who is a Montana director and co-chair of the U.S./Canada Working Group of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture which met recently in Boise, Idaho.

"Animal health standards must be harmonized so as to provide equal access of United States cattle, sheep and hogs to Canadian markets before the Canadian border is reopened to the importation of live cattle into the U.S. from Canada," was approved unanimously by the agriculture directors and commissioners who attended the meeting.

That message will be carried to San Diego when the U.S. Animal Health Association holds its annual meeting there today through Oct. 16.

"We agree with our friends in Canada that 'sound science' should be the basis for allowing the entry of livestock across borders." said Peck. "That said, we have been pressing health officials in Canada for years -- without success -- to harmonize animal health standards to permit the unrestricted flow of U.S. livestock northward."

[rusty1]

Yes and you can bet you're bottom dollar the minute we start buying feeders from the south and bring all that corn north raising their cost of calves and grain then they wine about that (I been sworn at by US feeders for that)

[cowman]

rsomer: Thanks for educating us on those diseases. I had no idea they were that ugly. I hope our meat inspection agency has the fortitude to stand up to big business who doesn't give a rip about the heart and soul of our industry...the cow/calf sector.

[rsomer]

Of the two diseases, anaplasmosis is the worst. I spoke to a producer who had raised cattle in Oklahoma and having seen the disease his advice was you don’t want anaplas. Well, want it or not we are going to get anaplas if the Canadian Cattleman’s Association and the big feedlots get their way. The CFIA officials I have spoken with say it is a certainty that the Canadian beef herd will become infected with anaplasmosis if live American cattle come into this country during the vector season.

The cow calf producers in Alberta particularly are going to need to become aware of this disease and how to recognize and deal with outbreaks. There is a very good source of information about anaplasmosis at:
http://animalscience.tamu.edu/ansc/publications/beefpubs/anaplasmosis.pdf
This document discusses the stages of the disease and how to recognize symptoms in your herd, how to set up a control program which may include testing all animals, tetracycline injections for every animal every 30 days during the vector season, vaccinations, chlorotetracycline in the salt/mineral, etc.

I see the most serious aspect of both anaplasmosis and bluetongue is abortions in pregnant cows. That would be ruinous in our present situation because there is no market for the cull cow. If the producer is lucky the diseased cows would have the decency to just up and die.

We have never blocked live American cattle in Canada, we just asked for a blood test. And in the winter we weren’t even asking for that. But there are about 5 big feedlots that want to buy American calves year round and they have a lot of influence. As Bluetongue and Anaplasmosis are spread by insects having the cattle in terminal feed lots offers no control of spread of the disease. Mosquitoes, horse flies and other biting insects will spread anaplasmosis into the surrounding cow herds. Once local ticks get the disease the disease will over winter in the ticks and ensure we can never get rid of anaplasmosis once we are infected.

[ValueChainFX]

Just a note here, I have worked with many CFIA inspectors in plants across Canada. I have always found these people to be loyal to the process. They are probably in my opinion the best government department in Canada and do not compromise on their position if they are right. As in every group there is the odd one that has a power trip going, but really I do believe they look after all our interests.

I still believe they have to change with the times, but I give them two thumbs up!